Beekeeping

Beekeeping A Guide to Bees, Beekeeping and Associated Practices Beekeeping is being designed as an all-purpose broad scope reference book pertaining to apiculture, including information regarding bees, beekeeping and associated practices. Although Beekeeping is being written with the initial intent in aiding hobbyist, it is a growing resource that could also aid commercial beekeepers similarly. This Wiki book however, is not being written in a completely linear manner. Because of the writing style of this book, through the act of simply reading it chapter-by-chapter content will be lost. Reading in this manner should still prove to be worthwhile, but more topics and greater depth may be uncovered by following links within the text. Much like other Wiki based texts, Beekeeping is dependant on the collaborative effort of the community. If you have read your fill of this book and have some extra information that you can add, we request you do so, but before submitting please visit the Editing Guidelines and Information page.

An Introduction to Beekeeping

• Why Keep Bees
• Starting Out Right With Bees

Types of Beekeepers

• Residential Beekeeping
• Hobby Beekeeping
• Sideline Beekeeping
• Commercial Beekeeping

Aspects of the Honey Bee

• The Honey Bee
• Races

Castes

• Queen
• Drone
• Worker

Anatomy

• Anatomy of the Queen
• Anatomy of the Worker
• Anatomy of the Drone
• Anatomy of the Larva and Pupa

• Social Life

Communication

• Dance Language
• Pheromones

Behavior

• Fanning
• Flight
• Guard
• Robbing
• Swarming

• Color and Object Recognition
• Learning

The Hive

Langstroth Hive

Bottom Board

• Slatted Bottom Board
• Screened Bottom Board

Covers

• Telescopic Cover
• Garden Cover
• Inner Cover
• Migratory Cover

Entrance Modifier

• Entrance Reducer
• Mouse Guard

Feeders

• Entrance Feeder
• Hive Top Feeder
• Frame Feeder

Frames

• Foundation

Hive Bodies

• Brood Nest
• Supers
• Comb Honey Supers

Other Hive Parts

• Hive Stand
• Queen Excluder
• Sticky Board

Top Bar Hives

• Kenya Top Bar Hive
• Tanzania Top Bar Hives
• Top Bars

Other Hive Designs

• Beegum Hive (antiquated)
• Natural Hive
• Observation Hive
• Skep Hives (antiquated)
• Tile Hive (antiquated)
• WBC Hive (traditional but now uncommon British Hive)
• British National (or Modified National)
• Smith Hive
• Commercial (and Modified Commercial)
• Dadant

Obtaining Hive Parts

• Buying New
• Buying Used
• Building

Tools and Equipment

Hive Manipulation

• Hive Tool
• Frame Grip

Bee Manipulation

• Bee Brush
• Smoker
• Bee Blower

Protective Gear

• Veil
• Bee Suit
• Bee Gloves

Build Up and Maintenance

• Embedders
• Frame Cleaner
• Foundation Press

First Steps with Bees

Obtaining Bees

Packaged Bees

• Caring for a Package of Bees
• Hiving a Packages

Nucs and Existing Hives

• Moving Hives
• Hiving Nucs

Swarms and Feral Hives

• Swarm Baiting
• Swarms Capture
• Hiving Swarms
• Collecting Feral Hives
• Hiving Feral Hives

Acquiring Queen Bees

• Introducing the Queen
• Handling the Queen

Hive Management

Standard Hive Management

• Opening the Hive for the First Time
• Locating the Queen

Advanced Hive Management

• Swarm Prevention
• Producing Comb Honey
• Marking the Queen
• Queen Rearing

Seasonal Management

• Spring Management
• Summer Management
• Fall Management
• Winter Management

Hive Products

Honey

• Varieties of Honey

Forms of Honey

• Extracted Honey
• Comb Honey
• Chunk Honey
• Creamed Honey
• Adulterated Honey

Processing Honey

• Extracting Honey
• Packaging Honey
• Selling Honey

Using Honey

• Food Recipes
• Mead Making

Honey Tools

• Uncapping Tools
• Comb Cutter
• Honey Extractor
• Honey Press
• Refractometer

Beeswax

• Cosmetic Formulas
• Candle Making

Wax Tools

• Wax Melting
• Wax Processing

Pollen

Propolis

Venom

Royal Jelly

Special Practices

Bee Manipulation

• Biological Beekeeping
• Small Cell Regression

Hive Manipulations

• Joining Hives
• Splitting Hives
• Migratory Beekeeping

Disease and Pests

Parasites

• Tracheal Mite (Acarine Disease)
• Varroa Mites

Disease

• Acute Bee Paralysis (ABP)
• Amoeba
• Chronic Paralysis Virus (CPV)
• Dysentery
• Kashmir Bee Virus (KBV)
• Nosema
• Septicemia

Brood Disease

• American Foul Brood (AFB)
• Chalkbrood
• European Foul Brood (EFB)
• Sacbrood
• Stonebrood

Chemicals

• Pesticides

Pests

• Bears
• Birds
• Hive Beetle
• Mice
• Skunks
• Vandals
• Wax Moth

Bees and Plants

• Pollination Process
• Good Bee Plants
• Bad Bee Plants

Special Interest

• Africanized Honey Bee
• Allergies
• Gaining Support of Friends and Neighbors
• Phobia

Other Types of Bees

• Semi-Social Bees
• Solitary Bees

History

• Evolution of the Honey Bee
• Impact of Man
• Historical Beekeeping Practices

Appendices

• Beekeeping Glossary
• Beekeeper’s Guide to Essential Oils
• Beekeeping Clubs and Associations
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Images and Illustrations
• Manufacturers and Resources
• Other Reference Material
• Recipes for the Bees

Acknowledgments and Book Information

• Book Contributors
• Editing Guidelines and Information